We took our zoo to the zoo!

Another summer come and gone, and we never made it to the zoo. 

That's just not ok.

Jojo scheduled us at the zoo in her calendar, so we had no choice! We had to go!

You should have seen the crazy critters there today, they were out of control, and super cute!

The zoo animals were pretty cute, too.

The elephants were a big hit. Their feet crack me up.

Oh, and I got a hair cut. Chopped off 10 inches. More on that later.

Ahh... the carousel. Isn't it just so... childhood?

Carousels are magical.

Where else can you ride on a giant praying mantis and enjoy it?

You don't have to go to India to ride a galloping elephant! Just head to Salt Lake's Hogle Zoo.

Jonah went with the Leopard this time. He almost always chooses a big cat.

See? Look at that face! Magical.

Jojo is in her element. 

Sometimes I think she's part of the magical. 

Hello baby tortoise!

And speaking of babies...

Cutest. Baby animal. Ever.

Agreed? Yes. Baby giraffe's are totally proportionate to adult giraffes. I don't know why that's so funny, but it is. 

And now, what we all waited for. The years of construction at the zoo were totally worth it. 

The new Rocky Shores exhibit is worth the drive. If you're within 5 hours of Salt Lake, I recommend it. Mr. Polar bear is totally a crowd pleaser, it's incredible.

He and Emmy had a moment. They connected on some level.

See the Seal there? How could you miss it, right? He's blind. He came from another zoo where he was depressed and struggling and basically slowly dying. They decided to give him a chance at a new zoo, and he is thriving here! He's hilarious to watch. I don't know how he doesn't run into the glass, being blind, but he doesn't. I should google that.

Google is a homeschooling Mom's dream come true.

We were here for so long. Once we finally left, I wanted to go back.

Anyone want to go to the zoo with me? Tomorrow?

The grizzly bears! Oh the bears. Their zoo habitat was pretty sad for so many decades. Now it's stellar. Also, isn't the name Grizzly just the coolest name for these guys? Whoever named them was clever.

This one loved the zoo, can you tell? Enjoyed every minute of her all-day nap.

Have I ever mentioned Claire and Calvin's lovehate relationship? Whenever we see them these two always run to each other and hug and carry on, but it only lasts so long. Then they can't stand each other. Then they cry for each other once we leave. It's complicated.

They played on this log for over an hour. Tess and I sat on a bench and veged. Jojo supervised.
Sometimes when Tess and I and all our offspring get together, we kinda sorta shut down and our eyes glaze over and our hearing turns off. Jojo makes sure our kids stay alive. It's a nice arrangement.

Claire took a break in Millie's spot.

Calvin nearly fell asleep in the log.

Jonah nearly fell asleep on this lovely rock.

Lainey fell off the log and bruised her bod.

Emmy nearly fell asleep on this seal.

After our siesta it was back to the work at hand: playing!

Thanks for an awesome day Tess and Jojo!

Oh, and Calvin? I love you.